Summary

Chapter 10 takes place entirely within a confessional; Maureen has returned to the Church to confess to the murder. Instead of following the traditional ceremony of reconciliation, though, Maureen takes this opportunity to point out many of the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church. She confirms with the priest that Jimmy is not totally responsible for his sins due to the circumstances of his life, and so argues the same temptations that corrupted Jimmy “leads young girls into sin,” as she had been (130). Maureen also notes “the ritual [of confession] is more powerful than the killing,” in that she can be religiously absolved of sin by a priest without being legally punished (131). The chapter ends with Maureen arguing that the clergy are hypocrites: “I killed one man but you would have killed me in the name of your god, wouldn’t you?” (133).